Sutton suffered last minute disappointment away from home for the second time this season as Swindon substitute Jacob Wakeling headed home in the second minute of stoppage time to tilt an entertaining game Swindon’s way. Both sides seemed set for a point that would to most observers have relected a fair outcome when Wakeling glanced a cross from Frazer Blake-Tracy beyond Jack Rose to give the home side their second league win of the season.

The evening started, as at all EFL games, with a minute’s silence and the singing of the National Anthem following the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with the sight of the players entering the pitch in total silence one that is unlikely to be forgotten.

When the game started U’s could have been behind inside a minute as Jonny Williams collected a crossfield pass on the right and sent in a low cross which seemed certain to set up a goal for Luke Jephcott on his home Swindon debut, but Rose’s reactions superbly denied him at point blank range, and the value of the save was heightened within three minutes as Donovan Wilson collected a Joe Kizzi throw in and reached the right by-line before pulling the ball back for Will Randall to shoot low in to the net from twelve yards.

Sutton almost had a second four minutes later when Coby Rowe’s superb diagonal pass was controlled skilfully by Randall, whose cross was tipped away by Sol Brynn, who then had to recover to tip Harry Baeautyman’s header over the bar and deny the midfielder a goal on his 300th appearance. Brynn made an even better save from the resulting corner, pushing away Louis John’s downward header, and in a good first half for the goalkeepers Rose turned away a Louis Reed free kick that was dipping in to the top corner, and tipped over a Jephcott shot after the striker had cut in from the left as U’s waited for a flag, thinking that the ball had gone out of play.

Just after the half hour mark Omar Bugiel, returning after injury, saw a shot blocked by home skipper Angus McDonald, and an exchange between the two players left McDonald on the ground, referee Darren Handley showing Bugiel a yellow card with the home supporters baying for a harsher punishment.

Ten minutes before half time Swindon equalised with a goal which epitomised the lot of a goalkeeper as Rose, brilliant in the first half hour, allowed a Tyrese Shade shot to evade him on a surface made slippery by incessant rain and with Rowe’s attempted block creating a slight deflection. Given a boost by the equaliser, Swindon turned things round within three minutes, U’s again contributing to the goal as Craig Eastmond’s wild clearance from a Ben Gladwin header hit John and fell nicely for Jephcott to tee up Williams, who shot high in to the net.

Sutton’s reaction was immediate, though, and produced the goal of the night as Bugiel burst through from his own half, exchanged passes with Wilson and then sent the ball through to Randall, who had to check as the pass was almost intercepted by Marcel Lavinier, but then turned inside the defender and struck a low shot from 25 yards inside Brynn’s left hand post.

U’s began the second half well, Josh Neufville’s low shot saved by Brynn, and squandered a glorious chance when Neufville battled to the by-line and pulled the ball back to set up the unmarked Eastmond, who blazed over the bar. Brynn also made a fine save to deny Rob Milsom’s dipping shot as U’s kept up the pressure, and while Ronan Darcy should have done better with a shot that went over the bar after exchanging passes with Gladwin, the air of restlessness among the home support suggested a job well done by U’s.

However a failure to keep possession cost Sutton dear in stoppage time, as Reed battled back to win the ball off substitute Enzio Boldewijn, and then instigated the crossfield move that ended with Blake-Tracy’s cross being headed in by Wakeling to send U’s back up the M4 empty handed.

Swindon: S Brynn, M Lavinier(sub R Hutton 80), F Blake-Tracy, T Clayton, L Reed(sub M Baudry 90+4), A McDonald, B Gladwin, J Williams, L Jephcott (sub J Wakeling 60)R Darcy(sub S Khan 60), T Shade. Subs n/u R Aguiar, C Brann, M Roberts. Booked: Clayton

Sutton: J Rose, J Kizzi, R Milsom(sub J Barden 76), C Rowe, C Eastmond, L John, J Neufville, D Wilson(sub C Kendall 76), O Bugiel(sub K Kouassi 69), H Beautyman(sub A Smith 76), W Randall (sub E Boldewijn 87). Subs n/u B House, K Thomas.  Booked: Bugiel, Barden

Referee: Darren Handley

Attendance: 7,589(85 away)